The remaining eight foreign nationals being held without trial under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime & Security Act 2001 have been granted bail.

None of the men could be deported because lawyers believed they would face persecution in their home countries and some have now been released.

Since 11 September, 17 foreign nationals have been detained without trial.

They were held at Belmarsh and Woodhill high security prisons, Broadmoor Hospital, or house arrest.

On Thursday, one was released under strict bail conditions, and five others were moved from Belmarsh prison on Friday, pending bail arrangements. The remaining three were expected to be granted bail before 14 March.

Three still remain in custody. Two others are also being held, but no longer under anti-terror legislation.

ABU QATADA

One of only three suspects to allow their names to be released, Abu Qatada was granted political asylum upon his arrival in Britain in 1993. He has been sentenced in absentia to life in prison by a Jordanian court in relation to a series of explosions there.

In evidence to the Special Immigration Appeal Commission (Siac), former Home Secretary David Blunkett said Abu Qatada was the most significant extremist Islamic preacher in the UK, with "extensive contacts to senior terrorists worldwide" including those within al-Qaeda.

A Siac judge said Abu Qatada was "at the centre in the UK of terrorist activities associated with al-Qaeda. He is a truly dangerous individual".

Expected to be released on bail.

ABU RIDEH

Abu Rideh was born in Jordan to Palestinian refugee parents. He came to the UK in January 1995 and was recognised as a refugee.

However, in December 2001 he was detained under the anti-terrorism laws. In a letter to him, Mr Blunkett said: "You are an active supporter of various international terrorist groups, including those with links to Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network. Your activities on their behalf include fund raising."

After being held at Broadmoor secure hospital, he was granted bail at a Siac hearing in London in January 2005.

His deteriorating mental health prompted authorities to release him, although details of his bail have yet to be decided.

Due to be freed on bail on Friday.

DETAINEE A: FREED ON STRICT BAIL CONDITIONS

A is an Algerian man who was deported from the UK as an overstayer in 1989. He returned, claimed asylum, but was rejected.

He was detained under special powers in December 2001, accused of actively supporting GSPC, an Algerian group said to have terrorist intentions. Suspect A "broadly supported" the aims of Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

He allegedly used credit card fraud to raise funds for the organisation he supported. He was also accused of supplying satellite phones to extremists and of giving a sleeping bag and a pair of boots to Chechen rebels.

The government also claims A was associated with a terrorism suspect who was later apprehended at Heathrow.

In January 2005, the Home Office said he should be placed under house arrest, but his lawyers objected, saying it was "replacing one type of indefinite detention without trial with another".

He was freed under strict bail conditions, including being electronically tagged, on Thursday.

He will to observe a curfew and is banned from arranging to meet people without Home Office permission. His house cannot contain internet-capable computers and mobiles. He must notify the Home Office when he intends leaving the country.

DETAINEE B

Algerian born, the authorities do not know when B arrived in the UK. Officials ordered him to leave in 1996 but why he still remained is unclear.

He was jailed twice for driving while disqualified and then detained under the anti-terrorism powers when the home secretary said he belonged to the Algerian GSPC.

The intelligence services believe he sent communications equipment to Islamist groups fighting Russian forces in Chechnya.

He was held in Broadmoor and is expected to be freed soon.

DETAINEE E

E is Tunisian and claimed asylum after coming to the UK. He waited six years for a decision, was rejected but then told he could stay until 2005.

E was detained in December 2001. Mr Blunkett told him: "You are an active supporter of the Tunisian Fighting Group, a terrorist organisation with close links to al-Qaeda. You have provided direct assistance to a number of active terrorists."

At his original case hearings, the authorities were challenged as to whether the group indeed existed. E also alleged that evidence against him was unreliable because it was obtained by torture of others abroad. The court however ruled in favour of the Home Office, although its full reasons remain secret.

Expected to be released on bail.

DETAINEE H

An Algerian, Detainee H is a supporter of the FIS, the Islamist Algerian group that won the country's 1991 elections, prompting a military coup. He went to Afghanistan in 1992 and arrived in the UK the following year.

He claimed asylum saying his support for the FIS meant his life was in danger if he returned home. The Home Office accepted his case and gave him refugee status.

Arrested in 2002, the Home Office said he posed a terrorist threat and was fundraising and distributing propaganda for banned groups.

Expected to be released on bail.

DETAINEE K

K is an Algerian who arrived in the UK from Spain in 1998.

Expected to be released on bail.

DETAINEE P: GRANTED BAIL

P, an Algerian who reportedly has no hands, arrived in Britain in 1999 and was charged with terrorist offences in 2001. Those charges were dropped but he remains certified for detention, accused of being an associate of Algerian terror groups.

He was one of three detainees, along with 'A' and Abu Rideh, who were granted bail in January 2005. The Home Office said he should be put under house arrest but his lawyers objected.

They said he would be prepared to live at a named address, be tagged, live by a curfew and accept other restrictions, but could not accept house arrest.

Due to be freed on Friday.

DETAINEE Q

Detainee Q was arrested in January 2003.

Expected to be released on bail.

DETAINEE G: FREED ON STRICT BAIL CONDITIONS

G is also from Algeria. He arrived in the UK in August 1995 and claimed asylum. That application was rejected in September 1997, but he later gained six months' residency by being married to a French national. He was detained in December 2001, accused of actively supporting the GSPC.

The Home Office believes he has encouraged young men to train with Islamist groups in Afghanistan and has links with al-Qaeda members. Siac said it was satisfied that G was an "international terrorist ... his presence in the UK is a risk to national security".

G was released on bail earlier this year after the Home Office accepted he was mentally ill. Campaigners against his detention say he is effectively under house arrest.

He had his bail conditions relaxed on Thursday and can now live under the same terms as A.

FORMER DETAINEES

Seven of those originally certified are no longer in anti-terror detention, either choosing to leave the UK, being freed, or being held for a specific offence.

JAMAL AJOUAOU: LEFT THE UK

Born in Morocco, Jamal Ajouaou came to the UK 20 years ago. He asked to become a British citizen but his application has never been resolved. Arrested in December 2001, he was told he would face detention as a terrorist suspect.

He used his rights under the anti-terror laws to ask to leave the UK and he returned to Morocco. However, he has been fighting the case, saying the law prevents his return.

DETAINEE C: RELEASED

An Egyptian citizen, C claimed asylum in March 2000 and was recognised as a genuine refugee.

He was arrested in December 2001 after the Home Office concluded he was a member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. The group's leader, Ayman al-Zawhiri, is the architect of the al-Qaeda ideology and the closest confidante of Osama bin Laden.

The Home Office had said that the Egyptian courts had sentenced C in absentia to 15 years for allegedly trying to recruit army officers - a claim C denied.

C was released - without any conditions - in January 2005 having been held under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act.

In a statement, Home Secretary Charles Clarke said there was not enough evidence to maintain his certification as a terrorist suspect.

DETAINEE D: RELEASED

D, an Algerian, was released in September 2004. The Home Office has not explained why he no longer poses a threat, only saying the evidence no longer justified his detention. He was arrested in December 2001.

The original case against D alleged he was involved in the Algerian GIA, had used false documents, and associated with known extremists. Siac had concluded he was a "practised and accomplished liar" with a "history of involvement in terrorist support activity".

DETAINEE F: LEFT THE UK

Another Algerian, F admits he first came to the UK on a false Spanish passport. He was first identified as a terrorism suspect in 1997, but a case against him was later dropped.

He was arrested in December 2001 on suspicion of supporting the GIA. He was accused of "the procurement of terrorism-related materials and equipment and the provision of false documentation".

F later decided to exercise his right to leave. He is now living legally in France.

DETAINEE M: RELEASED

Detainee M, a 37-year-old Libyan man was released in March 2003 after the Siac ruled he had been held for 16 months on "wholly unreliable evidence".

The government had claimed he was part of an extremist Islamic movement in Libya, had fought in Afghanistan and had transferred money to a man suspected of links to al-Qaeda. M admitted being a member of a group called the LIFG, but said its only interest was opposing Colonel Gaddafi's regime.

DETAINEE I

I is an Algerian who claimed asylum in the UK in early 1995. His claim was refused in May 2000, but he was granted leave to stay in the UK until May 2004. I was detained in April 2002, accused of supporting and raising funds for terrorist groups.

DETAINEE S: HELD UNDER EXTRADITION ACT

S, also an Algerian, arrived in the UK from Pakistan in 1998 and has been in custody since February 2001. He is certified for detention under the anti-terrorism laws but is currently being held under the Extradition Act after a request from France.

He is accused of providing support for terrorist groups, including involvement in attacks alleged to have been planned for Canada and Los Angeles.